Thursday, 9 October 2014

Home remedies for hair dye disasters

I won't name people here, but just know, in my recent past, I've had to fix a hair disaster. :) You know who you are...

Sometimes, stuff happens. To our hair. And that, my friends, sucks.

You see, the power of the good hair day is a reality. It's something that can actually make us smile more and give us more confidence. Because, let's face it, when we look good to ourselves, we feel good, and as a result look good to others too.

But just the same is true for the bad hair day. It can absolutely ruin your day.

So here's the scenario. You have your hair done or do it yourself, certain that this new look is going to be awesome, verging on EPIC, really, and then... it isn't.

Your blonde is so brassy it could be a band. Your brown has a strange green quality. Your flaming red turned out to be awful orange. Your chocolate brown is midnight black. Your bright colour took a wrong turn to a technicolour unicorn party.

Well, I'm here to help you fix it. :)

I'm in no way a hairstylist or colourist, but I know how to Google and I have some common sense and experience. There is always a way to correct a mistake! Also, I'm wearing wigs in all of these photos, in case the fake shine didn't give it away. Although the blue one really is calling my name... :)

* Your hair is too brassy.
If your blonde hair is slightly yellow or orange, you can fix it easily with toner. You want to buy violet or ash toners, as the ashy tint will cancel out the yellow.

DIY toner? This is what you need :
- 3 cups Apple Cider Vinegar OR Conditioner.
- Four to five drops of violet food colouring. If you can't find violet, mix half blue and half purple. You want a bluer purple.
- Mix the food colouring and vinegar / conditioner.
- Apply to damp hair and let it sit for about 20 minutes (depending on how brassy your hair is)
- Repeat about once a month.

If the toner doesn't work, you can always use an ashy hair dye to fix it. You want to look for dyes with the words 'natural', 'neutral' or 'ash' on the box.

* Your brown hair dye has left your hair with a green tinge.
You want to get your hands on a cherry red toner and apply it to your hair.

DIY toner :
- 3 cups Apple Cider Vinegar OR Conditioner.
- Four to five drops of red food colouring.
- Mix the food colouring and vinegar / conditioner.
- Apply to damp hair and let it sit for about 20 minutes (depending on how green your hair is)
- Repeat about once a month.

***THIS IS ALSO A GREAT COLOUR BOOSTER FOR RED HAIR***

If your blonde hair is green due to chlorine, just wash it with ketchup. Gross sounding, I know, but the interwebs claims that it works. :)

* Your hair is too dark.
You are going to need a clarifying shampoo to fix this. DO NOT BLEACH, as this can react with the dye, making it orange, or damaging your hair. A colour lifter is more subtle than bleach.

DIY Clarifyer :
- 1 Part Vitamin C (either powder or tablets will work, just crush the tablets beforehand)
- 2 Parts shampoo
- Mix together until frothy and then apply to damp hair.
- Leave for 45 minutes - 1 hour, checking the colour regularly.
- Wash as usual and BE SURE TO APPLY A DEEP MOISTURISER, as this will dry out your hair.

* Your red turned out to be orange.
If you bought red dye and it turned out orange, you can apply a semi-permanent golden blonde or any ashy blonde over it to neutralise the orange. This will make it more natural looking. A good tip to remember when buying red dye is that blondes should opt for a box of dye about two shades darker than the shade they want to achieve, while darker hair colour should go for a shade lighter. This will result in a colour closer to what you want!!

* For bright colours :
Don't bleach. This will result in a whole different colour problem. Pinks, for example, will go orange, and that won't be what you wanted to achieve. Besides, you probably bleached to get to this point, and adding more bleach will damage your hair. Ashy toners and dyes will be your friend. Reds will cancel out greener and bluer tones, while violet will take care of oranges and reds.

When you've done any kind of colour or lightening treatment to your hair, you want to get your hands on a hair mask to re-moisturise. Use it once a week or once every to weeks, depending on the state of your hair.

Please remember that there is a hairdresser out there who can help you. If you're uncertain, or you've failed to save your dye job, please see a professional. Before you need to invest in a wig. :)